Death Personified
by Sama-Bama
Summary: *Due to be truly rewritten as I NOW have direction with this story* Meet Holly Woodard, a 15 year old American girl, who drinks & likes to have a good time. That was, until she awoke in the Urahara Shoten. Watch as she kicks ass & takes names... Hopefully...
1. In the Beginning

**Disclaimer: **I will only type this out once so read this up! I DO NOT OWN Bleach, the characters, merchandise, plots, or any other shit affiliated with the Bleach franchise. I do not receive any monetary gain from this story & I do not have anything to sue me over so no lawsuits. Bleach is copyright of Kubo Tite. Any characters, plots, and alterations to the original story line are of my own design. Now that that is clarified, onwards to the story!

* * *

It was a quiet morning in Paso Robles, CA as the sunrise's first rays flooded in through a small bedroom window. The sunlight filtered past the blinds, casting a stripped shadow around the room. A lone figure stirred in a bed that rested on the floor. A young girl lay tangled in her blankets, only allowing a brown mop of hair and an arm to be visible.

Tiredly, the teen rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up. Her half lidded gaze looked to where an IPod Dock sat on top of her dresser. Big flashing numbers read that it was 6:04 a.m. Rolling over to go back to sleep, the girl let out a tired yawn and settled back down. The ripping sound of the alarm broke the peaceful air, jolting the startled girl out of bed and into a heap on the floor.

"Zeus's dick!" She yelled out as she tried to untangle herself from… herself.

People… this is the heroine of the story, Holly Woodard. Charming, isn't she?

"_Angel of Death_

_Monarch to the kingdom of the butcher,_

_Angel of Death…Angel of Death!"_

Now, you might wonder what kind of person listens to Heavy Metal first thing in the morning. Or, the better question, why at such an ungodly hour? Well that's Holly for you, the unconventional teen of 21st century America.

"_Pumped with fluid, inside your brain_

_Pressure in your skull begins pushing through your eyes_

_Burning flesh, drips away_

_Test of heat burns your skin, your mind starts to boil_

_Frigid cold, cracks your limbs_

_How long can you last_

_In this frozen water burial?"_

Finally freeing herself, Holly groggily made her over to the night stand and enthusiastically slammed her fist down on the off button, shutting off the music. Vaguely, Holly could hear her next door neighbor banging his fist against the wall.

"Hey! Shut that damn thing off! Some of us are trying to sleep!" His muffled yet angry command floated through the dry wall.

"Oh piss off Dom!" She retorted, banging her own fist against the wall just to piss him off.

The apartment she lived in was a small, one bedroom, one bath, with a small kitchenette and living room. She had moved in at 14 when she finally emancipated herself, finding the foster care system totally lacking in actual caring people who did treat her like a human being and not some source of income they could neglect when they wished. Holly had lost her Dad at ten to cancer and her Mother was what some would refer to as a 'Dope Whore'.

Grabbing some clothes off the floor, Holly walked out of her room and down the hall to the bathroom. As she stepped in, she locked the door behind her out of habit. Holly then turned the hot and cold shower faucets on to the right temperature. As she waited for the water to heat up, Holly studied herself in the wall mirror.

Her chocolate brown hair that barely reached the bottom of her shoulders was in wild disarray, the very definition of bed head. Next was her eyes, they were almost feline in shape, a darker shade of apple green. After that was her small, straightish button like nose that had been broken a few times. Then she looked at her skin, it was a tanned peach color, smooth and almost flawless if it wasn't for her usual break outs when she hit that certain time of the month every girl hated. In each ear she wore a matching pair of small black hoop earrings. A white hemp cord hung around her neck holding a heart locket. All in all, Holly looked the part of a 15 year old American girl.

A half an hour later found her in her living room watching Tom and Jerry on Boomerang munching down on a bowl of Golden Grams. Looking up at her wall clock, a cute panda one, she realized she had 30 minutes to get to school. Putting her bowl and spoon in the kitchen sink, Holly walked back to her room. She pulled on a pair of black cotton track pants and a green pullover hoodie followed by a pair of navy deck slip-ons.

Holly then grabbed her red backpack, stopping to snatch up her keys and IPod before leaving her house. She locked her front door before she ascended down the stoop, jumping down to the bottom step and began making her way to school.

The school Holly attended was Independent Study, a school she only had to go to for four hours every Monday and Wednesday. Today was Wednesday so it was the last day of school for the week. Currently, Holly was at the end of her 9th grade year, making her a freshman. It was nearing the end of May so she only had about another two weeks of school. To support herself, Holly worked as a cashier at Powell's Candy Shop which she absolutely loved. Yep, her life was going awesome.

Soon, Holly was walking up the front ramp of her school. She waved at other kids coming in and at some of the really cool teachers. Walking into the classroom, Holly felt like someone was watching her. She turned, expecting to spot someone but, was brought up short when no one was there. She shook it off as she walked back into the class, filing it away in the back of her head, and turned to listen to Mr. Harvey instead.

* * *

~12:02 P.M.~

After school let out, Holly trucked her way back home, stopping at the Pioneer Gas Station to grab some munchies. Once at home, she started on her homework. Dirty Jobs could be heard in the background as she worked out math problems. She was almost complete with the last problem when her cell phone went off.

"_SHARON! _

_The fuckin' phone is ringing!_

_Answer the fuckin' phone!_

_SHARON!"_

Being interrupted by Ozzy Osbourne, Holly grabbed her phone and flipped it open to see Kevin's photo on the caller ID. She pressed the speaker button on her phone before placing it back on the coffee table and resumed her work.

"This is Cabana Boy's Love Shack, how can I pleasure you today?" Holly said, a small smirk splayed on her face.

"Ha ha, very funny Holly. What's supeh?" Came Kevin's amused reply.

"Nada, just finishing up my homework like a good little girl Donovan." She answered sarcastically.

"…Are you finally admitting that you're short?" He laughed.

"No, I'm vertically disadvantaged!" She shot back in defense of her height.

"Yeah yeah, sure sure. So, you should come over to my house." He replied.

"Uh, sure. As soon as I'm done with this alright." Holly said as she noticed a mistake in her work. "Shit. Fucking math…" She mumbled as she erased the last 3/4ths of the problem.

"Well, as soon as you're done, mob on over here. I'm having a fat party." Kevin stated, she could picture his blue eyes aglow with mischief.

"Ight, I'll be there. Peace out." Holly said as she ended the call.

After finishing her work, Holly gathered up her IPod and keys before she took off to the scene of the party. All the while, she could've sworn she felt someone watching her as she went to Kevin's. She just wrote it off as paranoia and continued on her way. Holly arrived at the party and was met with a chorus of voiced 'Hellos!' and 'Holly!". Spotting the lighter colored brunette, Kevin immediately pointed out the direction of the keg and where he put her special rum before returning to the dance floor that was his living room.

As the night progressed and she got further into her cups, Holly still couldn't shrug off the whole 'I'm watching you' vibe she had been feeling off and on all day, though she continued to ignore it to the best of her drunken abilities. Right now, Holly was showing off her drinking skills for some of the party goers, doing inverted keg stands, beer bongs, and sometimes shot gunning beer.

It was probably about 2:00 in the morning when Holly decided to call it a night. Kevin ended up helping her walk to his room. He settled her into his bed on the wall side with her head on the pillows while he put his head at the end of the bed. They're as close as a brother and sister would be so sleeping in the same bed was no big deal for them. Kevin was the first to drop off, leaving Holly awake for a good five minutes. It was then the feeling of being watched was more intense than it was all day. Like before, she just waved it off as paranoia and rolled over, dropping off into La-La Land for the night.

* * *

**Sama:** So here is chapter one! Reviews are greatly appreciated.


	2. WTF Mate?

**Sama: **If ya'll are back here reading this then the rewrite is to your taste. Now, let's see what Holly has gotten herself into…

* * *

My world was dark. The blackness that surrounded me on all sides felt like heavy, unyielding walls. I find it impossible to tell which way is up or down or how long I've spent floating here. The lack of warmth unnerved me, much like the eerie silence. I continued to stare into the suffocating darkness, looking for just one speck of light. I've been feeling that something was lurking about in the dark for a while now, but it still refuses to show itself to me. I want to call it out, but my voice fails me. I try to move, but my body refuses to respond.

I can hear a faint noise now if I strain my ears enough. I can't pinpoint where it's coming from as it sounds as if it's coming from all around me. It sounds almost like a dog's growl, but deep like a man's. Wait… is that growl turning into a voice? I swear this is one of the weirdest dreams I've ever had. I listened hard to find that the growling did somehow turn into a voice. It was muffled so badly that I couldn't make out what it was saying. It sounded pretty annoyed.

The voice that I was hearing before had come over time to be more understandable. It was still muffled though, just not as much before. It sounded like it was saying one word over and over again, like a name or something. I watched wide eyed as the darkness around me slowly started shifting color, the black fading out into white. As the darkness bled out, white light began to shower the world around me.

I could actually move my body around now! I began to kick my feet as though I was swimming, my arms pushing downwards, propelling me towards the light. As I got closer to it, a dark figure appeared. It was tall, much taller than me. I couldn't tell what it was as the light washed it out. Protruding from the top of its head are two, long pointed like ears. The "ears" didn't look like bunny ears though, more like a dog's.

It seemed to move farther away from me as I moved up more, causing me to extend my left hand towards it. The figure in return stretched out its own hand to me. This action prompted me to "swim" faster to catch up with the mystery thing, but it seemed no matter how hard I pushed upwards, we just couldn't touch each other. I could hear it talking to me, using the same word as before.

"She's…up…get…Ururu." Ururu? Why does that name sound familiar? And whose voice is that? It definitely wasn't the creature's…

I can feel my body becoming weighted down as the light caused the creature to white out of my vision completely. As the light began to die down, I became aware of a throbbing, shooting pain coming from my chest. It hurt me just to breath! I laid on what I assumed to be the floor, judging from the hardness I could feel under me. I could feel a pillow beneath my head and a blanket over my form.

I clenched my eyes closed as I continued to deal with the pain. Why was I in pain? The last harmful thing I did to myself was trying to jump down some stairs, but I fucked up my leg, not my chest. I guess this could be the end result of my drinking last night. Opening my eyes to find out why I was in pain, I blinked them a couple of times to adjust to the low lighting in the room. The sight that greeted me was not Kevin's room… Shit, just where in the hell am I?

Looking around me, the room I was currently laying in was foreign to me. This room looked like something out of those animes Nikki and I watched all the time at her house. I guess that's why I felt like I was laying on the floor. The Japanese have those futons they lay on the floor to sleep on. Seeing a flash of red out of the corner of my eye, I turned my head to the side only to see somebody that I shouldn't be seeing at all.

Sitting there with his dark crimson colored eyes staring at the sliding doors was a red headed kid by the name of Jinta. As in Hanakari, Jinta. As in the belligerent little helper of the Urahara Shop. As in a character of the anime and manga series Bleach! Thank god he wasn't paying attention to me because I probably looked like a fucking idiot staring at him. I mean, for the love of Cheerios he a cartoon character!

Calm down Holly, you're just dreaming one of those second dream things… Well, that would be the case if it wasn't for the very real pain emanating from my chest! I got the bright idea to try to sit up, only to let out a hiss of pain when a lightning hot bolt of pain shot through me. I clenched my eyes shut and laid back down. It seems that I caught Jinta's attention. He got up from his spot and made his way over to my side, kneeling down next to me.

"Hey, you should take it easy. You're still hurt ya know!" He scolded me. "Ururu went to get the boss so stay down." Jinta added on afterwards.

"…So, where am I?" I asked him, wincing from the pain that talking caused. I was pretty sure I knew where exactly I was, but my mind wouldn't allow me to think that way. I mean seriously, people do not, I repeat, do not wake up in one of their favorite series. It just doesn't work that way. If it did, animes and mangas alike would be over runned with the Mary Sue menaces from hell!

"I'm Hanakari, Jinta. You're here in the Urahara Shoten." Jinta informed me, eyeing me pointedly. "Who are you?"

"Holly. Where is this shop exactly?" I answered and asked, still not convinced of my location.

"The shop? It's in the Mitsumiya District of Karakurachou, Japan. Duh." He responded as if he was speaking to a five year old.

Holy shit… this is not happening. This is so not happening right now! Holy fuck it is! Holy fuck of a mother fucking fuckin' FUCK! Oh my eff'n gee, how did this happen to me? This is some pretty fucked up shit right here. This is so not right. The last thing I remember was going to sleep in Kevin's bed, in America. Then I had that messed dream. Now, I'm laying down on a futon in one of the rooms of Urahara's candy store in fuckin' BLEACH!

"Hey! Are you alright?" Jinta asked, snapping me out of my mental breakdown.

"Uh, no. No I'm not. I'm in pain, I don't know how I got here, and I was in America the last time I checked. So, no. I'm far from alright Jinta." Holy hell my head hurts now.

"Wait, America? Then how did you get here?" He asked in surprise.

"That is what I would like to know." I mumbled in confusion.

"Hm. So how old are you?" Jinta inquired as he looked me over.

"I'm 15, a freshman in High School. How old are you Jinta?" I answered him, his face showing shock on it.

"Woah! 15! I thought you were 13 or something like that! I'm only eight!" He yelled. So, if he's eight, that makes Ururu 11 since she's three years older.

As I was about to open my mouth, the sound of the doors to the room caught both of our attentions.

"Ah~ So our Sleeping Beauty wakes!" Low and behold Mr. Hat-and-Clogs and Tessai with Ururu in tow.

"I am Urahara, Kisuke, owner of this humble little shop!" Kisuke announced as he bowed, flipping open his paper fan and waving it in front of his face.

"I'm Woodard, Holly." I replied, still wondering just what the hell was going on.

"Well Woodard-san, this is Tsukabishi, Tessai." He said, waving his fan at Tessai who bowed to me before taking a seat on my immediate right.

"This here is Tsumugiya, Ururu." Kisuke continued, next waving his fan at Ururu who stood by his side.

"…Hello, it's nice to meet you." Ururu said shyly as she bowed.

"And it seems you have already met Jinta." He concluded as he turned his attention back to me.

"It seems you have reopened your chest wound Woodard-dono." Tessai informed me, which drew my attention down to my chest.

I hadn't even realized Tessai had pulled the blanket off me. I looked down to my chest only to have the sight of bloody bandages meet my eyes. Holy shit, what the fuck? From the blood present on the bandages, I'd say the wound must be around six inches long and maybe an inch wide. The wound ran vertically downwards on the right side of my chest, dangerously close to my heart.

"How in the hell did this happen?" I asked out loud wide eyed, receiving varying looks of surprise and confusion.

"How do you not know that you got ran through!?" Jinta yelled out in irritation. My eyes flew over to him in shock.

"I got ran through? That's what this is from?" I asked in shock, wincing as I gestured to my chest with my finger. Tessai motioned for me to settle down as a bit more blood stained the bandage.

"So you don't remember what happen? Hm… Well, what is the last thing you do remember?" Kisuke asked, his eyes shaded by his hat.

Tessai went and sat me up as I began to explain my curious situation to him. Ururu came over and helped Tessai clean and redress my chest wound, muttering a "Sorry." every time I winced. I calmly told Kisuke about how my day went; going to school, going back home, and going to Kevin's house. Then I told him I went to bed and somehow woke up here in Japan. He stared at me strangely when I said the last part.

"Ah~ so you're not from Japan? What country do you hail from then Woodard-san?" Kisuke inquired as he continued to flap that damn fan in his face.

"America." I answered before he fell into a pondering state. After a few minutes, Kisuke directed his gaze from the floor back to me.

"Hm, very interesting. Well Woodard-san, how does this sound. Seeing as you have no where to stay, you stay here in my little shop. In exchange for saving your life, you can work here until we can figure out what to do about your situation. How does that sound?" He asked me, which caused me to look at him like was stupid.

I mean, I know who he is and that I wasn't a threat to him or the others, but I gotta wonder about his logic. "Well, I don't have any other options open to me. So I guess I'll stay." I answered him as Tessai finished up tying the bandages up.

"Splendid~ I'll have Jinta and Ururu set up a room for you then! Here are your pills, just take them at one hour intervals and you'll be fine." He announced as he handed me a very familiar pill bottle with one pill in it.

"Um, there's only one in here." I said even though I knew what his answer would be.

"That one pill will be more than enough Woodard-san!" He responded cheerfully.

"Okay, please just call me Holly. I don't like formalities tied to my name. That's all I ask." I told everyone. Jinta and Ururu nodded, but I already knew Tessai wouldn't call me by my first name.

"It seems you'll fit in just fine here Holly." Kisuke said warmly as he went to waltz out of the room behind the exiting Tessai and kids.

"Oh! Where's all my stuff?" I asked. Shit, that totally almost slipped my mind.

Kisuke turned to look at me from the door. "Your belongings are in the corner next to the bed. Good night Holly!" He then walked out of the room, shutting the sliding doors behind him as he went.

* * *

Laying there, I stared up at the ceiling and let my thoughts wander. Okay, so I'm in Bleach now. I'm not sure if it's the manga or anime version yet or what arc I just landed in. On top of it all, I apparently got ran through. And it hasn't slipped my mind that I could understand Japanese. They made no comment on it, so I will go with the assumption that I have been dumped into the dubbed version of it. In total, I am completely at a loss with the mind fuckage that's going on.

People, I officially hate my life right now. Oh, I guess I should take that super pill Kisuke gave me. Picking it up, I examined it before placing it my mouth. Swallowing the pill, I continued to contemplate these turn of events. Lost in my thoughts, I didn't hear the sliding doors to the room I was currently occupying open nor did I hear the soft footsteps approaching me. It wasn't till a small hand got waved in front of my face that I realized someone else was in the room.

"Holy shit!" I yelped as I sat up out of instinct, flinching as the movement pulled on my injury.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you Holly." A soft voice said. Turning my head, I saw Ururu with her head bowed down next to me.

"Nah, you just startled me is all. It's alright Ururu." I laughed a bit to ease up her glum mood. The smell of food wafted up to my nose, causing my stomach to growl in approval.

"Kisuke-san said you might be hungry so I brought you some leftovers." She told me as she indicated for me to sit up. Doing so was a strain, but the pain subsided a bit. Ururu then placed some pillows behind my back for support.

"Much appreciated." I replied as I laid my back against the pillows. I took the bowl from Ururu and balanced it in one hand while I took a pair of chopsticks in the other. Ururu stood up leave.

"Ururu, you can stay here you know. Ain't nothing like a nice talk over dinner." I said, motioning to my side with the sticks in my right hand.

"Oh, I don't want to bother you." She said timidly.

"Nonsense, snag a spot kid. Tell me about yourself." I replied with a smile.

Ururu hesitated for a moment before she sat back down. As I ate, Ururu and I swapped info about each other like our favorite colors, music, food, and other various shit of the like. Slurping up the last ramen noodle in the bowl, I placed the chopsticks inside it and placed it on the ground next me, rubbing my stomach in content as I did so.

"Ah, that was so good! My compliments to the chef." I sighed happily, causing Ururu to giggle a bit.

I let out a small yawn, placing the back of my hand to my mouth. "Thanks for keeping me company Ururu, and for the delish food." I said.

"You're welcome." She replied as she gathered up the bowl and helped me settle back down on the futon. "Good night Holly." She added with a small bow.

"Good nighty night Ururu." I replied before drifting off to sleep, the sound of the doors sliding close was the last thing I heared.

* * *

**Sama: **So we see the interaction between Holly and the crew at the Shoten. Next chapter starts off one year after Holly enters bleach. Toodles! :3


	3. Enter the Dynamic Duo

**Sama: **Welcome to Chapter the Third everyone! Just a little FYI: I decided that when I do start the pairing pole, I'll start taking the pairing you request and make small, end of the chapter stories. That way the peeps can read for themselves if the Holly/Cannon Character that was choosen really suits her or not.

* * *

"Many people, however, soon recognized the big advantages of the Western nations in science and military, and favored a complete opening to the world." Mr. Takahashi's monotone voice droned on.

I sat in the back of the class and watch the clock with rapt attention. It was two minutes till 11:30 and I couldn't wait to get the hell out of Japanese History. I sucked at my own country's history and I had no interest at all about Japan's. I had spent the entire hour and a half doodling all over the back of my green notebook. Looking at the chibi hollow I drew, I penciled in a chibi Jinta running from it with a look of sheer terror on his face.

"…and that is how Japan became open to trade with other counties." Mr. Takahashi concluded barely before the school bell rang.

"Your Homework for tonight is to write a six page summary of chapters eight through ten. It is to be handed in tomorrow." He stated as everyone packed up for the day.

Shoving the notebook into my trusty red backpack, I got out of my seat and made my way through my classmates. The hall was packed with kids as I walked to the stairs. The stairwell was just as crowded as the hall, which made it a bit more difficult to get down. I so didn't want to go to school, but jerkwad Kisuke made it into a condition in order for me to live with him. That, and I had to help Jinta and Ururu keep shop.

My only issue with this was the school he enrolled me in… Karakura 1st High School. You know, the one that Ichigo and the others attend. It wasn't so bad when I finished out my freshman year because they didn't go there yet. But low and fucking behold, I had the Death Berry run into me the first week of my Sophomore year. I was late by three periods and he was just late to class. What a way to meet the main character right?

Of course he apologized before he ran off, but I was still pissed. I then made a point to stay away from that group of people. I didn't hang around with other kids at school anyways. Not from the lack of trying, but because I was "scary". I had beaten the ever living bejesus out of a group of girls who decided they didn't like Americans. Ever since then, people just stayed away.

Though, I did seek out Ishida once. I got him to make my skirt longer so it covered my knees when I sat down. I really don't understand school uniforms. They say it helps students pay attention when they're not distracted by others clothing. I say it's a way for the perverts in the administration office to get off on seeing young girls in miniskirts. I had tried to wear the guy's uniform to school one day, but was give an even skankier looking girl's uniform to wear. Needless to say, I wasn't happy.

Walking out the front doors of the school, I continued on my way back to the shop. Today was the one year anniversary of my arrival into the world of Bleach so I decided to take the rest of the day off. Some days, I think I'm going to wake up anytime now and find this has been some crazy ass dream. I'm still wondering how it is I got here in the first place. I don't know who or what injured me, but I got a zanpakuto out of it.

I'm not a Substitute like Ichigo will be or a Shinigami for that matter. There are major differences between me and them;

1. I didn't die and get my powers.

2. I can't perform Konso, so sending people to the Soul Society is a no.

3. I can't Flash Step. My equivalent to it is to use my own rei to give me a boost. It's like how a Quincy uses Hirenkyaku, but I can't gather surrounding reishi like they can.

4. I can't use kido. Don't know why that is, but Tessai tried to teach me and epically failed.

5. When I slay hollows, they die. They don't pass go, they don't collect $200 dollars.

Yeah, pretty weird huh? In most fanfics I've read the Oc becomes a Shinigami, Shinigami Substitute, Quincy, Mod Soul, Bount, an Arrancar, an Espada, or a Vizard. Me? I'm just a half assed version of a Shinigami who can only communicate with said zanpakuto, though I have to admit that I'm not bad and hand to hand combat thanks to Tessai and Kisuke. I'm just glad that I didn't turn into a Mary Sue with uber cool powers of pwnage. If I had, I would have most likely killed myself.

That, and I don't think I could have handled being the center of a love polygon. Just thinking of that gave me the heebie jeebies. I'm glad that I'm so plain looking because most guys leave me alone. When I say most guys, I mean Keigo and Mizuiro are the only ones that ever seem to bother me; Keigo for the reason that he is Keigo and Mizuiro as he has a thing for older chicks. Other than that, I'm pretty much left alone.

Walking down the alley to the shop, I could hear Jinta before I see him as usual. I stood there in the mouth of the alley and watched as Jinta swung the broom around like a bat. Behind him was Ururu, who was sweeping the cement patio. Sighing, I placed my IPod in my jacket pocket before strolling over to him.

"JINTA HOMERUN!" Shouted said red head as he swung the broom behind him.

Before he could complete the follow through, I grabbed the broom from his hands and swatted him on the ass with it. His pained yelp of surprise hit my ears as his hands clamped over his ass cheeks.

"What the hell are you doing twerp?! Quit playin' around and sweep!" I scolded him as I dropped the broom on the ground by his feet.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR WOODARD?!" Jinta yelled at me, his face screwed up in anger. "THAT HURT!"

"Oh god Jinta, I didn't hit you that hard!" I shot back at him in disbelief.

"YOU CAN'T JUST HIT ME! THAT'S CALLED CHILD ABUSE!" He retorted, rubbing his smarting backside.

"Like hell you're a child. Satan spawn." I muttered as I walked over to Ururu.

"Hello Ururu. I'll be back out in a sec, okay?" I told her, still hearing Jinta's gripping about American girls being psychos.

Ururu nodded and turned back to her sweeping as I walked into the shop. Going through the front room, I removed my penny loafers before I bounded up the stairs. I went into my room at the end of the hall and changed out of my uniform. Donning my normal black cotton track pants, I forgoed wearing my apple green hoodie in favor of a dark brown tank top. Walking back down the stairs, I went to the kitchen and grabbed two sodas out of the fridge.

"Here you go Ururu!" I said as I walked out, handing her one of the sodas.

"Thank you Hol..." Ururu replied before being rudely interrupted.

"HEY! Where's mine?!" Shouted an angry Jinta.

"Whinny Brat…" I replied before tossing the second one to him.

"Say, I didn't see Kisuke or Tessai in the shop. Do you guys know where they went?" I asked the two.

"I think Boss went out to eat somewhere with Tessai." Jinta answered me as Ururu nodded in agreement.

"…That old goat. He said he would spar with me today!" I huffed in annoyance.

"So much for Hakuda training today." I thought sourly as I put on my newish black slip-ons.

"Did he say when they'll be back?" I inquired, getting a no and a head shake as an answer.

"Well, I'm heading out. Watch the shop and each other you two." I said, ruffling their hair as I walked to the alley.

"Like I need watchin'! And aren't you supposed to be in school anyways, ya ditcher!?" Jinta yelled after me indignantly as Ururu waved.

* * *

Strolling down the street towards the Yumisawa District, I listened to my IPod. Most of my friends back home would poke fun at me for always having my ear buds in my ears, saying things like, "Dude, you're going to be tone deaf by your mid life crisis!" or, "Hollywood, those buds are going to get stuck in your ears one of these days." Hollywood. It's been a long while since I had anyone call me that.

I got that nickname because of my name; Holly Woodard. I didn't mind at all when they did. It was just a silly nickname anyways. Speaking of which, I was on my way to see "Casper the Friendly Ghost". He's a polite little boy by the name of Tetsuo. He died a few months back and now haunts the Yumisawa Children's Park.

Now, he isn't like those pluses that chain themselves to things. He is a Jibakurai, or earth-bound spirit. He stays so he can see his Mom. I can't blame the kid for being attached to his Mom, but he does attract the Hollow's attention from time to time and it's a pain in the ass. I tried to help him move on, but he gave me the look. You know, the look that kids give you when they really want something.

So now I make it a point to visit the little guy when I not busy with other things. That, or I use him as an excuse to ditch school to hang with him. Odd thing about the little bugger is that he only shows up at the park at 12:00. He told me he does that because he spends the whole morning following his mom around before he goes to play. It's kinda sad really, but who am I to judge him?

I can see him now sitting on the swings, it's not hard though. He's the only kid here. He had short spiky black hair, wore a red and white raglan sleeved shirt, a pair of blue shorts, and blue sneakers. As I walked over to him, he turned and looked at me with those big onyx eyes of his and smiled toothily. He really was an adorable kid.

"Holly-chan!" Tetsuo exclaimed as he jumped of the swings to hug me.

"Hey, Tetsuo! How are you today?" I replied as I hugged him back.

"Great! Mamma's doing better too!" He informed me as he let go, sitting back down on the swing he was using.

"That's good to hear little dude." I said, moving behind the swing to push him.

We continued to make small talk as I continued to push him. Though, to onlookers it must have looked weird seeing a strange girl pushing an empty swing and talking to herself. I wouldn't blame them if they called the funny farm on me. I didn't care much anyways because I was having a good time, even if I did look schizo doing it. But, as all good things have an end, so too must my day apparently.

I had no time to react as a Hollow plowed though the playground and roughly slammed into me. I was sent flying into a tree and Tetsuo was sent running for his life. Shit, my head hurts. Why do Hollows have to fuck my day up? As I watched the retreating back of the Hollow, I realized something. That spider looking Hollow looked an awful lot like the one Ichigo slayed to save that boy at the park near the school….

Dammit! How did I let this slip my mind?! Tetsuo was the boy the Ichigo saved and I'm a complete dippy for not putting the pieces together sooner. This would mean that I am currently in episode/chapter two of the 'Bleach' cannon. This would mean that the story is just starting and that meant I would have to deal with everything that happens pretty soon.

Standing up on my feet, I knew that Tetsuo was safe, but it kinda sadden me that I wouldn't see him again because Ichigo would Konso the little dude after saving him. As I turned to walk back to the shop, I heard running from behind me. I turned to see Tetsuo running towards me with Ichigo and Rukia behind him. Shit, double shit, triple SHIT! I don't want them seeing me now! It's gonna cause suspicion!

"HOLLY-CHAN! YOU'RE OKAY!" Tetsuo shouted as he slammed into me, his arms coming up to grip me around my waist.

"Idiot, of course I'm okay! It's you I was worried about!" I replied, patting the top of his head as he let go of me.

"I'm okay! Mr. Scowly saved me and got rid of the monster." He said, turning to point at Ichigo, who looked annoyed at the eight year old's name for him.

"Did he now? Well, thank you Mr. Scowly for saving my friend here." I said, smirking as Ichigo looked at in surprise.

"Wait! You can see me?!" He asked in disbelief. Rukia looked at him with annoyance.

"Of course she can you fool! She was just talking to the child!" She scolded him, causing me to smile slightly before turning back to Tetsuo.

"See Tetsuo, this is exactly why you can't stay here. What if Mr. Scowly and his friend weren't here to save you? That monster would have eaten you alive, er... dead or whatever. Those monsters are the reason you need to move on." I reasoned with the small boy, hoping that he would finally just crossover.

"She's right you know." The Death Berry said, Rukia nodding in agreement. "Those things will keep coming after you if you don't move on."

"B-b-but I'll never see Mamma or Holly-chan if I go!" Tetsuo sniffled, clinging to my leg in an attempt to hide from the two Shinigami.

"Tetsuo, if you crossover, you can be like a Guardian Angel to your Mamma and I. Wouldn't that be cool?" I said, running my hand though his hair in an attempt to sooth him into submission.

"Can I really do that Holly-chan?" Tetsuo looked up at me with those wide, onyx eyes.

"I'm pretty sure you can little dude. So, how about it? You'll be our Guardian Angel?" I answered as I sunk to crouch in front of him, smiling reassuringly.

Tetsuo looked from me, to Rukia, to Ichigo, then back to me before he replied. "Okay. I'm ready."

* * *

After the bright blue light of Tetsuo's Konso faded, I found that I had a new dilemma. The Death Berry and the Chappy Midget were still here, looking at me like they wanted to say something, but didn't know how.

Hearing someone clearing their throat, I turned to see Rukia staring at me intently while Ichigo looked on.

"Who are you?" Rukia inquired with an authoritive tone. I blinked with mild annoyance.

"It's rude to ask for a name when you don't offer yours." I replied coolly, delighted that I had caught the Kuchiki, Rukia off guard.

"Eh, you know what I don't care anyways." I replied as I waved to the both of them over my shoulder as I walked off, hearing Chappy Midget's indignant sputtering and Death Berry's calls for me to come back.

Yes, I know it was rude of me to do that, but I can't get involved with them just yet. So, acting cool as a cucumber while acting mysterious seems like a good idea. That way, they'll keep me on the back burner of their minds and I'll get out of their crosshairs for awhile at least. As long as I don't have any more impromptu run ins concerning them… though knowing this universe, the likelihood of seeing them before due time is high.

* * *

**Sama:** And this concludes chapter three! Reviews make this story go round people. And remember the pole! I'm not choosing who she ends up with, that's all on y'all.


	4. Of Lions & Centipedes

**Sama: **Commence with CHAPTER THE FOURTH! *Throws Confetti Everywhere*

**Tessai: **Sam-dono, you really should take it easy on the coffee.

**Sama:** Coffee is the elixir of life. Bow before the might of the awesome bean!

**Tessai:** '-_- Sigh…

* * *

"Batter number four Hanakari, Jinta, with his awesome back swing… WHAM! JINTA HOMERUN!" Jinta yelled as he missed the baseball altogether.

"Jinta-kun… Tessai-san will get mad that you're not sweeping." Ururu informed him timidly as I walked outside.

"She's right ya know." I said as I handed a bottle of water to Ururu.

"SHUT UP, HOLLY! Like I would clean up if I was scared of Tessai!" He stated as he pointed his broom at me.

"No, you're cleaning up because you're scared, right?" Ururu asked/told Jinta, who in return turned his wrath on her.

"I'm not scared! You're annoying as ever! You're below me!" Jinta fired back as he jabbed the back of Ururu's head with the bristled park of the broom.

"Tha… That's not right! I'm three years older than you! Ow, ow!" She replied back while trying to protect her head.

"It's not about age! It's about status! Status! As human beings!" Jinta shot back as he continued his assault on Ururu.

"Hey! That's enough outta you twerp! Leave her alone already!" I said as I went to grab the broom from him, but was beaten to it.

"Wh… Who's there!? Tessa…" Jinta said fearfully as he turned around to see who stopped him.

"You're the same as ever, Shorty. Is the Boss in?" Asked the Chappy Midget before her eyes landed on me.

"You!" She said accusingly as she pointed at me. "You're that rude girl from the park!"

"Actually, you're the one who was being rude." I smiled to show her that I was just poking fun at her.

"Kisuke is inside if you want to see him. I was just on my way out anyways. Take care!" I said as I walked away with a wave over my shoulder, leaving and confounded Kuchiki behind.

I'm surprised that she didn't notice that I was wearing the same uniform as her. I guess she was still a bit flustered from our last encounter. Oh well, not like I care. I'm still trying to decide whether or not I was going to attend the whole school day or not. Thinking of school, Rukia came into the shop this morning before school. I think that means that she was there to buy the Soul Candy which would turn out to be Kon.

This would mean that school was going to be interesting today and I shouldn't miss it to see if I was right in my assumptions. Walking onto the school grounds, I saw everyone going about their usual business. Nothing out of the ordinary so far. Sometimes I wonder if it was worth going to school. Jinta and Ururu don't go to regular school so why did I have to? Well, I guess there's no helping that. Kisuke doesn't give me grief over ditching all the time anyways and for that I was thankful.

So I took my normal seat in at the base of a sakura tree in the front court yard. My legs were crossed at the ankles stretched out before me and my hands in my school blazer pockets. Idle, I took my time watching the yard get fuller as kids showed up for their next day in Hell… I mean school. Well, not much of a difference if you ask me. Who doesn't think that sitting in desk for seven to eight hours a day is torture?

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of orange. Turning to where I had seen it, I saw the Chappy Midget dragging an aggravated Death Berry behind her. I watched them as they turned the corner as they disappeared to the back side of the school. Weighting the options of whether or not I should follow them and see Kon scare the shit out of that teacher, I decided that I would just sit tight and wait for Kon to jump up into Ichigo's class.

* * *

As the bell rang, I witnessed Rukia and Ichigo running off with Ichigo in Shinigami mode. Obviously they were off to fight the Wicked Witch of the West… Wait, wrong story guys. It's more like the Wicked Hollows of Karakura. Yeah, that's more like it. If this was Oz though, I'd say that I was Dorothy because of the whole other world thing. Then, Yoruichi would be Toto and Kisuke would be the Wizard of Oz. Wait, then who the hell would be the Scarecrow, the Lion, and the Tin Man?

"Hey, can you tell me where Freshman Class 3 is?" A voice called out to me as turned to look at who was yelling at me. Low and behold the Leggy Mod Soul, Kon. Well holy shit…

"Um, it's the third window up right there." I told him as I pointed at the open window that had Ichigo's class on the other side.

"Thank you!" Kon said as he walked up to me, a strange look in his eyes.

"Uh, you're welcome?" I replied, eyebrow raised as a sense of foreboding washed over me. He better not do anything perverted to me. This thought was dashed however, when he took my hand into his and looked me in the eye.

"Pleasure to meet you, beautiful young lady." He drawled as I felt his other hand stroke my hair in the back. He then leaned forward and pressed his lips to the top of my hand. Wait, didn't he do this to Orihime? WTF MATE!?

"Well, if you think I'm pretty, then you should head up to your class. I bet there are some bodacious babes in there prettier than I." I told Kon, hoping that he would take the bait and go. Even though I knew it was Kon, it still made me a tad uncomfortable that he was flirting with me using the Death Berry's body.

"Really?! Well then, may we meet again my green eyed beauty!" Kon said in barely contained joy, bowing like a gentleman before fleeing in search of chicks.

Watching him go, I let of a sigh of relief. Green eyed beauty? That's a new one. At least he was one of those nicer flirts unlike some guys I know back home. Shaking my head, I decided to make an appearance in math even though I would be about an hour late. With a bounce in my step, I departed the yard. Vaguely, I could hear the sound of shattering glass. Tch, Tatsuki really needed to lighten up. Not like she was in elementary school anymore eh~.

* * *

"Hey! Look closely! What does that say?! Read it!" Jinta's yell was the first thing that I heard when I walked up into the shop. Looking at the scene in front of me, I saw Kisuke, Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu standing around a box labeled 'Poor Merchandise'.

"… Poh… Mah… Chan…" Ururu began to sound out. Tessai stood behind her with a look of seriousness.

"What the?! That sounds like a Hong Kong action star's name! It's 'Poor Merchandise'! 'Poor Merchandise! You sold a really poor quality item to a customer!" Jinta raved as he slam a foot and a hand onto a box in front of him.

"What the hell is your problem cockroach bangs?!" Jinta yelled again, this time taking Ururu bangs into his hands and began to tug.

"Ouch, ouch!" Ururu whimpered as Jinta manhandled her hair.

Sighing, I walked over as Kisuke said, waving his hand, "Now, now. Don't fight. This is my fault for not disposing of the merchandise in the first place."

"Yeah, so let go of her hair twerp." I deadpanned as I brought my fist down on top of Jinta's head. With a pained yelp, Jinta let go of Ururu's head in favor of his own.

"However… No matter who is to blame, these content could be trouble. What shall we do Boss?" Tessai inquired as he glanced at Kisuke.

"Yeah… Either way we need to act fast. Having gained a human body for the first time… Who's to say what 'he' will do…" Kisuke said with a look of what seemed to me as melancholy.

"Well, why don't you go track him down? I willing to bet my top dollar that he's been seen by people already so…" I trailed off at the look Kisuke graced me with.

"How very nice of you to volunteer Holly! You go out and track him down while we prepare here." Kisuke said as he pushed me out the front doors with a cheerful wave of his hands.

Standing out front of the Shouten, I blinked as I tried to figure out what the fuck just happened. "Shit, me and my big fucking mouth." I said, disgusted with myself as I realized what I said.

Fifteen minutes later found me near the elementary school Karin and Yuzu go to. Kon should be here soon. I leaned up against a fence and waited for him to show. While I was waiting, I heard those boys that he saved on the other side of the fence. I could hear them bitching about Karin and their game monster. Wait… that means Kon's sitting up above me!

Looking to my right, I saw Kon perched up on top of the fence post looking down on those boys. Then they said some shit about things dying, Kon went off the deep end, broke their video game, and took off running. Like hell I was going after him when he was just going to come back here. That would be stupid. No wait, stupid would be me right now seems how I'm standing right where that centipede hollow comes down… fuck my life.

Now those boys are on my side of the gate sweeping. I felt a ripple of reishi and looked up just in time to see the hollow looming over them, ready to strike. Double fuck, where's Kon?! Shouldn't he have been here by now?! Just as I was ready to save them, Kon appeared and saved them like he should have, narrowly avoiding the hollow as it smashed head first into the ground.

"Run away! Hurry! Do you want to die?! Go over there!" He yelled at the three boys, who looked more confused by the second.

"WH…What's he talking about? Suddenly telling us to run away… huh?" One of the boys asked the other two.

"Hey! Watch out!" I yelled as I watched in slow motion as the centipede shot one of its legs at Kon, who looked at me in surprise.

As I barrowed into him, I felt pain lance through my shoulder as we both tumbled to the ground. Grabbing at my shoulder, I could feel blood flowing through my fingers.

"Hey, you're that girl from school!" Looking down at him, I realized that I was still on top of him. Getting off him, Kon stood up and grabbed me by my good arm and dragged me behind him.

Putting his arms around me, Kon jumped us up to a nearby rooftop and set me down. "Are you alright?" He asked in concern as he looked at my shoulder, blood running down my arm.

"Yeah. I'll live unfortunately." I joked, though it seemed he didn't appreciate it. He was about to say something when a shadow fell over us.

The centipede loomed above us as Kon turned around to face it, standing protectively in front of me.

"He, he… interfering with my meal, running around… I don't know who you are, but… a weakling like you shouldn't get INVOLVED!" The hollow bellowed as it shot a leg at Kon.

"EXACTLY!" Yelled the Death Berry as he appeared suddenly. He swung his zanpakuto down, lopping the leg of the centipede off as Kon looked on in shock.

"Wha…?" Kon breathed, watching the hollow screech in agony at the loss of its leg.

Sitting there, I decided that now would be the opportune time to beat a quick exit. No use staying here if everything was under control. Besides, I need to go get my shoulder patched up anyways. Getting to my feet, I quickly made my way to the railing on the back side of the building. Using my good arm to heave myself over, I swung both legs over and dropped to the ground four stories below.

Landing in a crouched position, I pushed myself up and looked around to see if anyone saw or followed me. I saw no one around it was safe to say that I wasn't seen. Good thing I had used my reishi to soften my fall. If I hadn't had any, I probably would have broken something. Oh, I almost forgot about my shoulder!

Really, I don't know how I could of. It throbs uncomfortably like other injuries I had received of this nature. The blood that had flowed down my arm was mostly dry by now. Pulling the collar of my uniform's shirt aside, I looked more closely at the wound. It was in likeness of a knife slash, as long as my middle finger and just as wide. If looked closely enough, I could see a sliver of my shoulder blade. Sick, right?

Dammit, why am I letting myself get hurt when I know that I could have wrecked that hollow? Oh right, I can't interfere with the time line. Though, getting hurt instead of Kon was a slip up on my part. I probably shouldn't do anything like that again. It just might break something somewhere in this universe if my being here hadn't yet. I had yet to run across anything that doesn't belong here so I guess that I had nothing to worry about… yet.

I really, really wish that my interfering today didn't alter something down the line. Because that would be bad juju right there! What if Kon starts coming after me instead of Orihime?! That's all bad and that is something I hope it doesn't happen. I should probably head back to the shop now and wait for the others to get back, empty handed hopefully. Ah shit balls… How in the hell am I suppose to explain to Kisuke how I got hurt?

* * *

**Sama: **Well, you all know the drill. Reviews help me make the story better. And if I don't get any feedback, how am I supposed to know if something isn't right?


	5. Brought to You by Hollow Bait

**Sama:** Chapter five is here! And if your still here reading this then hello to you too!

* * *

Following the events of the centipede fiasco, I found myself being more cautious than usual. I knew that the next event would be that Kanonji bullshit. I didn't really pay attention when I read that chapter so the details were fuzzy at best. I knew that Kisuke was there with Tessai and the kids. Because of this, I was out of the shop more than usual in hope that I could avoid going. Knowing my past record of meddling, I would inadvertently get involved again.

So avoiding Kisuke like the plague was the best option for now. Though, it didn't help that I went to school the day after the announcement that 'Ghost Bust' would be in Karakura. Everyone was basically doing that gay ass 'Bohahahaha' laugh. It made me want to dropkick babies out closed windows honestly. I have to admit though, I got a kick out of Chad doing it even though he had the common curtsey not to do the obnoxious laugh that went with the pose.

Hey, you guys wanna know something surprising? I went to school all week. It was mid-terms so I had to attend all my classes. I actually scored in at #22 in the whole sophomore class. The only reason I knew is because the girls in my homeroom made a big deal out of it. Something along the lines of 'American Trash' scoring higher than them. Tch, like I give a shit. I ignored them like usual and continued about my doodling.

* * *

Sitting down in front of a Starbucks (I didn't know those existed here in the Bleach Universe), I sipped on my French Vanilla Caffecino and watched people walk on by. Many would consider people watching creepy, but you see some things that you wouldn't normally. Like there was this fat guy picking his nose and reading Cosmo (Didn't know that magazine existed here either), a girl who was dancing like a freak down the sidewalk, and an old man with mirrors on his shoes. Yeah, mirrors. I don't think I need to explain what he was using them for.

Nothing was out of the ordinary today. The only excitement I had was a minor Hollow that I quickly dispatched. After I took the Hollow out, I was hit with a thought. Was me taking out Hollows causing the Death Berry and the Chappy Midget problems? When Kubo introduced Ishida to Ichigo and Rukia, he was taking out the Hollows before they could even find them. Was I doing the same thing to them?

The Hollows that I had been taking out had no bearing on the story as far as I knew. None of them were important like Grand Fisher, so I guess killing them wouldn't alter the cannon plot line much. Thus, I believe that if I don't overdo it on the slaying, then I was in the clear. I mean, they don't even know it's me doing it and they'll probably think it was Ishida doing it all along. Yeah, I think I'm fine being anonymous for now.

Okay, eww… did that guy just bust ass and walk away?! What a pig! Getting up and walking away from the smell, I threw my empty cup away and began to trek down the street. What to do, what to do… I could go back to school. Nah, maybe go to an arcade? Terrorize the general population? Go back to the shop? Wait, no… that would beat the purpose of avoiding Kisuke. Shit, what the hell am I going to do to cure me of this boredom?

Wait, what the hell is he doing? 'He' of course would be the aforementioned Quincy; Ishida, Uryuu. I caught a whiff of his reishi coming from behind me as I turned a corner. Was he following me? Why would he be following me anyways? It wasn't like I flaunted my powers enough for him to be curious. In fact, he shouldn't be able to sense my power seems how I hide it all the time.

Turning another corner, I found that he was still following me. What does he want from me? The only time I ever talked to him was when he fixed up my skirt for me. I'm really starting to believe that fate just loves to fuck me every chance it gets… When I came across an alley way, I decided that if he wants to talk to me, then it would be better if he did where no one can see us in case it gets hairy.

I walked down the alley a ways before turning around. Seeing Ishida standing at the mouth of the alley, I stared at him before continuing further in. I could hear his footsteps echo off the brick walls behind me. After coming to a dead end, I turned once more to him standing a few feet away. Close enough to talk comfortably, yet far enough to keep all of me in his sight in case I try anything.

"Ah~ Ishida. What has you following me today?" I asked civilly, watching him with wariness as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Don't play coy with me Woodard-san." Ishida replied coldly, eyes narrowed.

"Coy? Like the fish? Why would I act like a fish?" Chuckling, I reached in pocket, which caused the Quincy to stiffen in response.

He responded with action, about ready to whip out his bow from the way he raised his wrist, his Quincy Cross dangling from it.

"Relax. I have no reason to attack you." I replied calmly as I pulled my IPod out. "Now, what is your business with little old me?"

Ishida lowered his wrist before responding, "I saw you defeat that Hollow earlier today."

"Really? Then that means you were ditching. What a bad boy you are." I said in amusement, a small smile gracing my face as I wrapped my ear buds up around my IPod.

"I was just going to leave you be, but… then I felt your rei. It felt a bit too close to a Shinigami's reishi." He informed me. Shit, don't tell me he's going to issue me a challenge like he did Ichigo. That would be catastrophic to the story line.

I opened my mouth to respond, but he continued on. "But, upon closer inspection of your reiraku, I found something odd. The color to be exact." He said as reiraku ribbons surrounded him.

I was going to respond before he cut me off again, this time however, he lunged forward. His hand came within inches of my face as he grabbed on to my reiraku ribbon. My eyes widen as he pulled his hand back to show me my ribbon.

"Pink?" I replied in confusion. WTF?! I HATE PINK!

"Yes Woodard-san, Pink. It's like your reishi is that of a human meshed with that of a Shinigami. Would you care to explain this?" Ishida explained calmly, his eyes pinning mine with a look of pure curiosity.

My mind was in a whirl. Kisuke explained to me that because of my near death experience, my inner powers were awakened. This however, I didn't expect. If my powers were derived from Shinigami powers, shouldn't my reiraku be red and not pink? But then again, I can't do all the things that a Shinigami can do so my guess was that the reishi manipulation that I can do is more in the scope of a regular human with reishi.

"Hmm, it's rather tricky to explain, but, I'm not telling you jack shit. Why? Because that would be stupid of me to tell a stranger what all I can do. You could just as soon as snitch on me to someone and I'd be SOL." I replied with an air of indifference. It seemed that he didn't like my answer from the angry look on his face.

"Look, I'm not here to hurt anyone. So you leave me be and I'll leave you be. I have no reason to fight with you." I said as he looked to retort something not so pleasant.

Ishida stared at me for a while for reason not to clear to me. It was obvious he was thinking on what I said. I wonder what he would do next.

"If you claim to be of no harm, then I will leave you be, but, if I find you otherwise, I will be forced to act." He said in the way a judge would pass sentence.

"Oh, don't worry yourself about me. I only attack when provoked." I replied, my mild mannered attitude back in place.

"So, you were trying to figure out if I was a threat? You could have just asked me instead of following me like some stalker." I told him.

He blushed slightly from my comment. "I assumed that you would run if I tried to confront you."

"Well, 'Assume makes an ass of you and me.' That's what my Dad would say." I replied lightly, smiling at him to show I had no hard feelings.

"Well, if you and I are done here, would you like to get a bite to eat?"

* * *

After departing ways with Ishida, I wandered around town for a bit before heading back to the shop. The look on his face was priceless when I asked him he wanted to eat with me. He stuttered and politely declined. I have to admit, it was rather funny to watch. I think he got the impression that I was asking him out on a date or something similar. Don't get how he reached that conclusion, but whatever.

"Maa~ Holly! Where have you been all day? We were starting to get worried about you!" Kisuke said with his usual flourish as I stepped into the shop.

"Here, there, and somewhere in the middle." I replied as I took a seat next to him.

"Well, whatever it was you were doing, you missed quite the show!" He informed me as he waved his fan in front of his face.

"Really? Was it that 'Ghost Buster' special at the hospital?" I asked, hoping that that was what I missed.

"Indeed it was. You should have come. It would have been good for you." Kisuke said, implying that I needed to have been there for reasons I knew he wouldn't tell me.

"Ah, but Kisuke, those type of events don't interest me." I told him, smiling slightly as I got up.

"Well, I'm going to hit the hay. We're on for Hakuda tomorrow right?" I asked him. I haven't been able to train for over a week now because either he or Tessai were too busy with something.

"We'll see about that Holly. Sweet dreams!" He replied as I gave him a pat on the shoulder as I left him to his thoughts.

I don't know what has been going on with me lately, but it seemed that whenever I used my zanpakuto, it was very draining. I could for a decent amount of time before I was exhausted. I haven't brought up the issue to Kisuke yet because I didn't want to worry him unnecessarily if it turned out to be nothing serious. For now, I stuck to using Hakuda and reishi manipulation to deal with the occasional Hollow that strayed into my path.

Pulling on my P.j.'s, I plopped down on my bed and thought about the next chapter in the story. It was the Quincy/Ishida arc when Kubo introduces him. Shit… that means that there'll be copious amounts of Hollows floating around, terrorizing the general population in a not so nice way. I think that I'll just come straight home after school lets out as that is when Ishida will issue his challenge. With these thoughts circling in my head, I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next few days flew by without rhyme or reason as I continued to look for signs of the upcoming Hollow invasion. I had decided to stick close to Ishida seems how he was the one who starts it all. He and I are on goodish terms now unlike the Death Berry and I. Ichigo didn't even know I went to school with him so I couldn't just start hanging around him without suspicion.

I could tell that Ishida was planning to make his move soon from the way his reishi jumped slightly when he saw them. That, and every time a Hollow appeared, he skipped out on school for a bit before coming back. I knew he was messing with them and I found the whole situation I was in annoying. Also, I knew that on the day of the invasion if I stayed at the shop I would risk running into Chad and Orihime. But, if I avoid the shop I run the risk of running into Hollows… decisions decisions…

All this unnecessary trouble was putting me in a bad mood. I remember back when the only worries I had was school, work, and the little things like when the next party was. Now, it was Hollows, Shinigamis, and the other stuff that would prove hazardous to my health. No, I'm not talking about my smoking; I'm talking about Arrancars and the like. I still don't know if this is the anime or manga version so I don't know if there were the added dangers like Bounts.

Damn it, I'm too young for this. But, sitting here bitching about it isn't going to help me in the slight. Neither was thinking of home, so I needed to 'buck up' like my Dad would tell me. As of right now, I was following behind Ichigo as he epically failed at tailing Ishida. I mean seriously? His reishi could choke an elephant. I could tell that Ishida knew that Ichigo was following him, but was waiting to acknowledge him.

I saw Ishida turn around and call out to Ichigo over his shoulder. Then their conversation went from ambient to serious as Ishida pulled out the over-charged Hollow Bait. I chose at this time to get the hell out of dodge to somewhere safe from the mass of Hollows that were sure to come. I swear, if I get accosted by Hollows, I'm going to kick Ishida's ass across Karakura, back across, then across once more for good measure…

I was almost to be the shop when something collided with me. Actually, it was Kon.

"HELLO MY GREEN EYED BEAUTY!" He shouted ecstatically into my chest.

"Hello to you too Kon. Now, get your face outta my titties!" I replied annoyed as I bopped him in the head, causing him sprawl a few feet from me.

"Wait! It's not safe for you to be out here! There's a guy trying to-" Kon jumped up and started to explain to me, only for me to cut him off.

"I know all about it. By the way, aren't you supposed to be looking for someone?" I asked him as to remind him of his current mission.

"…OH YEAH! Have you seen Rukia-nee anywhere?" He asked me as he remembered what he was supposed to be doing.

"Try the Mashiba District. She should be there somewhere." I informed him as he got this questioning look in his eyes.

"Trust me, I just know some shit. Now hurry to her rescue, she can't fend off any Hollows with the way her powers are right now!" I said as I pushed him in right direction.

"Thank you my Green Eyed Beauty! May we meet another day!" He yelled over his shoulder as he took off to help the Chappy Midget.

It surprised me that he would still make passes at me at a time like this, but whatever. I need to get inside the shop before something else happens to me. Using my reishi to propel me over some buildings, I dropped in front of the shop just as Kisuke and Tessai walked up; Kisuke with an injured Orihime cradled in his arms and Tessai with an equally injured Chad on his back. Damn it, I was hoping that they were already gone by now!

"Holly, there you are~. Do you mind getting the door for us?" Kisuke asked cheerfully as I just stared at them.

"Yeah, sure." I replied as I pushed the sliding doors open wide enough for them to get inside.

Stepping aside, I closed the doors and followed in after them as they walked to a back room. "So what's the word on that ugly black thing in the sky?" I asked as I propped myself up against the door jamb of the room.

"You mean the Sky Crest?" Kisuke corrected me as he deposited Orihime next to Chad on the floor.

"Yeah, that thing. Is something trying to break on through to our side?" I probed, watching Tessai patch the teens up with Kido.

"Yes, there is something trying to break through… A Menos Grande." Kisuke informed me, his hat dramatically shading his eyes as he observed me for my reaction.

"Isn't that Gillian level Hollow?" I replied with a raised eyebrow. Even though I knew what was going on, I still had to play dumb, remember?

"If a Hollow like that got through, it'd be bad, right?" I asked as Tessai passed me by, probably going to keep an eye out on the Kuumon.

"Yes, it could prove to be disastrous for the town." Kisuke agreed, his air of playfulness gone, replaced by seriousness.

"Do you need me here or do you need me with Tessai?" I inquired him.

"You can go and help Tessai-san keep an eye out on the Sky Crest. I'll stay here and watch over them. They should wake up soon." Nodding to him slightly, I left the room in search of Tessai. I found him out on the back side of the shop starring at the black mass in the sky.

"Any change in the Sky Crest Tessai?" I asked as I stopped by his side, looking up to stare at it myself.

"No, but it won't be much longer until it begins it's convergence Woodard-dono." Tessai replied politely as I stared on.

"By convergence, you mean the point where it's stable enough to allow the Gillian to pass through?" I responded as he observed the black mass.

"Yes, Woodard-dono." He answered simply.

"But, how do we know when?" I asked in all honesty. For really, I may know shit, but I don't know everything peeps.

"We will know when it starts when-" He started to say when we both felt a vast amount of reishi coming from the Sky Crest in droves, it ragged shape becoming smoother and formed as Hollows began to swarm the gaping hole.

"…Well shit, I'll go inform Kisuke. You get the kids and the equipment." I sighed as we both went into the shop. My feet lead me back to room that Kisuke was in with the teens.

"Yo, Kisuke. The convergence has started!" I informed him as I pushed the doors open, revealing myself to Chad and Orihime. Said teens stared at me with wide eyes.

"I see… the preparations?" Kisuke asked me as he turned to face me.

"Tessai is seeing to them now." I informed him, feeling a bit uncomfortable with how said teens were starting at me.

"Right… Shall we go then?" Walking towards the doors, Kisuke was stopped by Orihime's confused voice.

"Wha… Wait a moment! We still-" She started, only to be interrupted.

"Are you coming along?" Kisuke asked them, stunning them both into silence.

"I shall let you watch. I want you to see for yourselves…" He started, falling into step with me as we both walked out the front doors.

Chad and Orihime followed us, stopping at the doors as Kisuke finished his sentence, "The world you're about to step into and the enemies that you must fight."

* * *

**Sama: **Yeah, I know. I'm a bitch for ending the chapter this way, but Urahara's line has epic win written all over them. R&R peeps. You know the drill.


	6. That's Not my Job!

**Sama:** Yay you're still here! On Chapter Six rewrite comin' up!

* * *

As we made our way to the site the Menos was to appear, I couldn't help but notice the looks Chad and Orihime kept giving me. It looked like a cross between questioning and suspicion. Kinda like they were curious as to whom I am, but at the same time they were wary. Not just of me though, but of everyone because of the situation they were in. Hell, I'd probably be doing the same thing if some crazy looking guy like Kisuke told me the shit he told them.

I was a few steps behind the whole crew as we walked into the construction site. It was there that Kisuke asked me to take Chad and Orihime up into the building to watch the ensuing battle. While we were up there, I watched as Ururu fired a volley of cannon balls from her huge shoulder cannon, Jinta as he swung his giant metal club about, and Tessai as he used his palms to take out the Hollows.

Both teens were silent as they watched on, looking down on the madness with unreadable expressions. I sat there behind them in the room. They hadn't spoken to me once since they meet me which I found rather odd, but understandable because of the current situation. They must have a lot on their minds right now because I would think that Orihime would at least ask me for my name or something being the air head she is.

"So… you can see Ichigo standing next to Ishida?" Chad asked Orihime.

"Yes…" She replied.

"…You can clearly see him?" Chad asked again to be certain.

"Yes…" Orihime said once more.

"Really? I can barely see him from here." Chad said as they both continued to stare down at the duo.

"Please watch from up there huh… Does that mean we have to make our choice here about… the path we have to take?" Orihime asked Chad who starred on in silence.

"Sado-kun… what are… we supposed to do?" She asked in despair, her head lowered as Chad starred at her from the corner of his eyes with uncertainty and shared pity.

I went to stand up, not being able to take anymore of the depressing atmosphere the teens were emitting, the noise jarring the two teens out of their stupor as I looked at them.

"Oh, you scared us. You were so quiet I forgot you were still there!" Orihime said as she and Chad watched me.

"… Look, I know you guys are on the verge of making a life changing decision and watching this is probably not making you feel any better about it." I said to them calmly as they both continued to look at me.

"I know that the things Kisuke said to you earlier seem crazy, but the evidence is right out that window. You both are seeing the same thing that I'm seeing, so how can it not be real? I think your problem is accepting those things. And until you accept or reject it, you will be stuck in a constant state of doubt…" I informed them as they stared at me in surprise that I read them so well.

"…What you both should listen to now is your hearts. There lie the answers to your questions. Until you listen to your hearts, you will never find your answers nor will you find your resolve to stick with that final decision." I said as I shared with them the profound wisdom that is mine. I ended my inspirational speech there, leaving both teens speechless as I left them in the room behind me with a flourish.

But damn I'm good at bullshitting! Just tell people some pretty words and they eat it right up! Of course there was some truth in there; I would never feed people complete bullshit. I wonder if Kisuke sent me up there with them to help them make their decision. As I descended the stairs that lead to the ground, I hope that my words did some good. If not, then I just possibly fucked something up…. Huh, maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut…

* * *

I woke up the day after the Menos incident to discover that we had a new addition to the shop. A black cat to be precise… did I mention it's name is Yoruichi? As in the fucking Shihouin, Yoruichi; the Goddess of Flash? No? Well, needless to say, I was damn excited because she is one of my all time favorite female characters in the existence of anime! I'm totally on cloud nine right now, you don't even know.

Hmm… maybe I can get her to train me in speed and Hakuda instead of Kisuke and Tessai. It seems to me that they were too busy nowadays. So with Yoruichi here now, I can totally pwn some bitches when the need arises! And maybe, just maybe, I can get her to teach me how to shift into an animal like she can. Though, I don't know what animal I would take the form of incase she does teach me…

School was bearable today as I was too hyped up on Yoruichi being here. Even seeing poor Rukia trying to distance herself couldn't bring me down. Okay, it did some, but you get my point. Now with all this filler over with, the real story is about to get started. It had been a little over two months now since the Death Berry got his powers, and after this last escapade, Renji and Byakuya would be here tonight to take the Chappy Midget back.

And what does this all amount to for me? One big fucking migraine, that's what. Of course I knew Kisuke will want/force me into going with the teens on their rescue mission to Soul Society. I really didn't want to go. Namely, fighting will be involved. It's not that I have a problem with fighting (being in my fair share of scraps before all this), it's more like I avoid it if possible because I'd rather knock back a few with someone instead of boxing them.

I decided to take off from school today to hole up somewhere incase Kisuke tries to drag me into shit again. I think it's becoming a sort of sick hobby for him to get me involved in things I want nothing to do with. But, Kisuke is Kisuke and he'll never change so hiding is my best option. Damn it, being a sophomore in high school shouldn't involve being placed in stressful situations entailing death and the like.

As I continued on my quest for a safe haven, I couldn't help but feel torn about the whole situation. I knew that any involvement on my part could alter the future of this dimension, but what if my existence here caused some additions. Like, what if there were new characters that there wasn't before. And bad guys, what if there were more than there was supposed to be? If there was, then it was my job to clean up those disturbances as to keep the plot from being altered more than what it was.

I highly doubt that I won't be pulled into the conflicts as I do have powers that they'll want to utilize in order to keep Karakura and Soul Society safe. I've read some fanfics that the Oc tries their best to stay out of the plot but ends up smack dab in the middle of them anyways or fanfics where the Oc goes out of their way to get embroiled in the fights. I'm leaning more towards the least involvement possible.

If, on the off chance that I do get pulled into the thick of things, I'll just down play my powers so as to insure that people will look to others instead of me. If I can off was a weak person, then they hopefully won't bother me. The only problem with that is Kisuke and his fucking mouth if he decides to wise them up on my true potential. Then, I will more than likely try to kick his ass and fail epically at doing so.

Oh! Look who it is! The Captain of the Sixth Division and his Lieutenant! They haven't notice me yet thank god, but they're probably more concerned with finding Rukia than the lone school girl gawking at them like a crack head on a three day speed binge. The reishi they emitted shamelessly (More like Renji with Byakuya keeping under wraps) was stifling even with a football field length between us.

I watched them as Renji used those expensive ass shades to scan the area in search of his beloved Chappy Midget. Byakuya stood a little ways behind him, using his own eyes and reishi to find his sister-in-law. I looked at my watch and saw in was only 4:27. They won't find her for a couple of hours which gives me ample time to find something to snack on while I continue my quest to find the perfect hiding place.

* * *

"Maa~ Holly! So this where you've been!" Kisuke's usual cheer filled voice broke in through the silence, leaving me feeling not so cheerful.

I had decided that the last place he would look for me would be the school. So I broke into the music room and fucked around with the tuning on all the instruments. As a precautionary, I checked the general area for Kisuke's reishi every few minutes as I sat in the dark of the room. I had hoped that I could wait out the transaction between the Quincy, the Substitute, and the Shinigamis but fate is a pmsing douche nozzle.

"Hello to you to Kisuke. What do you want?" I inquired as a Kisuke looked at me in mock hurt.

"Your words truly hurt you know. Can't I say hello without wanting something?" He asked me, his playfulness not helping my ruined mood.

"You could, but I saw those two blokes earlier Kisuke. You know, those high ranking Shinigamis? So obviously you want me for something that has to do with them." I informed him and his face grew serious.

"You saw them, huh? Well Holly, I need to ask you for a favor…"

* * *

How the hell did Kisuke get me to do this? Oh yeah, he'd dock a week's pay if I didn't. What am I talking about you ask? Well, I basically have to do Kisuke's job and help the Death Berry out of his body. Yeah, you read right. I have to go to Ichigo's house and free him from his body so he can go have a near death experience. Why the hell do I put up with this shit? Jumping up onto his window stile, I watched as Ichigo spazzed out on Kon.

"Shit! You're right! I can't become a Shinigami without Rukia! What should I do? You're the one who told me she's in trouble with the Soul Society! At least change me into a Shinigami so I can save her!" He yelled in Kon's face.

"Why are you blaming me? Go ahead! Blame the stuffed animal!" Kon yelled back just as fiercely.

Watching the spectacle, I couldn't help but release a small laugh at the sheer stupidity of a teenage boy yelling at a stuffed animal. My laugh didn't go unnoticed however, as both males freaked out and turned to openly stare at me like I was an animal on exhibit.

"Wait, you're that girl from-" Ichigo's eyes widened as soon as he recognized me, but Kon beat him to the punch with a much more enthusiastic response.

"It's my Green Eyed Beauty!" Yelled the lion plushie when he charged at me, throwing himself into my chest as the Death Berry looked on in confusion.

"Hi Kon. Do you mind? I got work to do." I told him as I picked him up and used the red glove that Kisuke gave me (the same one that Rukia had coincidentally) to remove him from his stuffed animal body.

"Here, just pop him in and you're on your way." I stated as I underhanded Kon to Ichigo, who caught him in confusion.

"Wait! Who are you? And why are you helping me?" He asked in utter bewilderment just when I was about to jump from his window.

"Seeing as how Kisuke doesn't want to lose Rukia's valuable patronage, he sent me here to help you under her store credit. For as to who I am… You'll find out soon enough." I explained to him over my shoulder and leaped to the ground below.

* * *

Sometime during my walk back to the shop it started to rain. I took it as a sign that the fight had ended and Kisuke had gone to collect the Death Berry. This meant that we were now officially in the Soul Society Arc and the next ten days are going to be bothersome. Kisuke would be training Ichigo while Yoruichi would be training Chad and Orihime, leaving me with Tessai. Don't get me wrong, I love the big guy, but he's a fucking slave driver when it comes to training. Last time Tessai and I boxed he ended up breaking my jaw 'cause I didn't get out of the way in time. Oh the wonders of not having flashstep.

I knew that Kisuke would give word to Tessai to train me harder for the next days as to prepare me for the rescue mission that I did not want to accompany. I could bitch, piss, and moan his ears off, but Kisuke would send me with them regardless of my feelings. So I guess I just have to get over myself and go with the flow. But, if Kisuke thinks that I'll help with the Death Berry's training, he had another thing coming. I much prefer myself in the bodily state that I was in now as opposed to being hacked to bits by a giant ass sword.

As I walked through the alley that leads to the shop, I saw Kisuke and Tessai in front of me with two very still Ichigo and Ishida's hitchin' a ride on his back. I followed behind him, stepping in front of them to open the front doors to let em' in. Closing the doors, I fell into step behind them as he and Tessai beat a very fast exit to the back rooms. They then proceeded to settle both boys down in the same room I woke up in a year prior. Tessai started his Kido healing on Ichigo as Kisuke excused himself and motioned for me to follow when he passed me in the doorway.

"Holly, could you be a dear and fetch Kurosaki-san's body please? I need to stay here and keep an eye on both his and Ishida-san's condition." Kisuke asked me casually as motioned back to the room with his fan.

I dead panned immediately. Why did this kind of shit always happen to me?

* * *

**Sama:** Poor Holly, how I torture her so… anyways; SOUL SOCIETY ARC! This means Holly is going to be interacting with Ichigo and the others. Oh the humanity! R&R? It does help people…


	7. Nancy Quincy is Watching You

**Sama: **So it's 12:22 a.m. now and I have this chapter redone for you guys to read.

* * *

So after I retrieved the Death Berry's body, I decided to call it a night and went to sleep. Did I mention that I ran into Ishida? Yeah, that was awkward. He stared at me like I was some kind of creeper. I mean really? There is nothing wrong with dragging a boy's body from his home in the middle of the night… okay, I guess I did look like a damn creeper, but whatever. I just hope that no one else saw me doing my shady looking business.

I had just gotten done with my morning shower when I heard a shrill scream of horror down stairs. Smiling to myself at Ichigo's misfortune, I finished drying off and got dressed. As I descended the stairs I saw Yoruichi walk inside the shop. My feet made a bee line towards the black cat when I hit the bottom step. I bent over and picked her up, but I guess she wasn't expecting it because she sunk her damn claws into my arms.

"Geezus! It's just me!" I exclaimed as I rubbed behind her ear to calm her down.

"Oh, Holly. Sorry. I wasn't expecting someone to grab me." She replied in the deep tone that belied her true gender.

"No worries Yoruichi. Now, let's see if Kisuke is playing nice, neh?" I said as I continued to run my fingers through her fur, getting a low purr in response.

As I walked down the hall, the sound of Kisuke giving Ichigo shit echoed softly around us. This made me chuckle lightly as I stopped to stand in the door way. Kisuke had the Death Berry flat on his back, Benihime pointed menacingly at his face. I felt like laughing out right at them, but refrained because Kisuke was having a BAMF moment. I didn't want to ruin it for everyone involved.

"You are weak. A weakling barging into enemy territory is suicide. "To rescue Rukia." Stop being so childish. Don't use other people as an excuse to go kill yourself." Kisuke stated with a seriousness that didn't quite suit him.

"The Soul Society usual allows a grace period that lasts a month for the maximum penalty in a convict's execution. It will be the same in Rukia-san's case." He continued, taking Benihime from infront of Ichigo's face, allowing the Death Berry to sit up.

"Hey Yoru, I'm going to get ready for school." I whispered into her ear as I set her down on the floor before turning to leave.

As I walked back up the stairs, it hit me. Today was the last day of school! Hell yeah! Summer break here I… oh wait. My summer break was going to get put on hold because of my self imposed job. Yeah, I resigned myself into going if only for the fact that I had to make sure that nothing was amiss. I mean, besides the general "Aizen is a bastard" amiss. I mean the more "Holy shit! That's not supposed to happen" amiss. Because it would be my fault if anything fucked up happened like it wasn't supposed to.

* * *

When I came back down, the Death Berry was standing at the shop entrance with Kisuke. I watched the two as Kisuke thrusted a familiar pill bottle into Ichigo's face. Kisuke then informed him that he was to take one every hour and report back here at dinner time. I gave my good mornings to the now awake Jinta and Ururu as I left the shop. I had just started down the alley way when I heard someone running from behind me.

"Hey! HEY! Wait up!" I heard a shout from behind me.

"Huh?" Was my intelligent response as I turned to see Ichigo running up towards me.

I paused and waited for the Death Berry to catch his breath, noting that he was dressed in his school uniform. Where did it come from? He wasn't wearing it when I brought his body over last night. Unless Kisuke had a spare I didn't know about, which would creep me the fuck out, then this would have to be put down under "Manga/Anime Magic". You know, like the case of Kisuke's fan. I've broken it before yet he still has it.

"Um, can I help you?" I finally asked him as he righted himself from his bent over position.

"You go to Karakura First too?!" He exclaimed, revealing the reason he ran after me like he did.

"Yeah, I do. What about it?" I answered, looking at him like he was stupid before walking away.

"I go there too. How come I've never seen you before?" Death Berry asked as he fell into step with me.

"I mostly keep to myself. People around here seem to have issues with Americans so…" I replied, causing him to look at me in surprise.

"Wait, you're the American I keep hearing about?" He asked, sounding as if he didn't quite believe me.

"Hearing about? What do they say about me anyways?" I inquired, curious as to learn what my fellow peers had to say about me. It's not like I care, but I still wondered you know.

"Eh, mostly bad things like you're in a gang. Stuff like that." Ichigo told me, looking off to the front of us as his scowl deepened.

"Pff, really? How stupid are people around here? Gang member my ass." I chuckled a bit, watching the front gates of the school as they came into view.

We fell into a comfortable silence as we walked through the gates. Already I could tell that the Death Berry wanted to ask me more, but didn't know how to broach the subject. How did I know? He kept looking at me from the corner of his eye with a look that screamed curious. Ladies and gentlemen, I don't like that look. I was never really one to talk about myself besides the little things like my favorites and such. Hell, even after living with Kisuke and co. for a year they didn't really know me.

"Hey, uh…" Ichigo started, looking a tad uncomfortable.

"Holly. Just Holly." I supplied him, looking at him slightly bored.

"Holly, right. Well, I'm going to class now so…" He trailed off sheepishly.

"Yeah, I get it. Don't look so worried, I'm not offended. You really need to lighten up kid." I replied with a laugh, hoping to set him at ease.

"Kid? Where do you get off on calling me a kid? You're like, what? A freshman too?" The Death Berry exclaimed, his face taking on a shade of irritated red.

"Actually, I'm a sophomore." I informed him, watching in amusement as his face morphed from annoyed to surprised.

"S-sophomore! But you're so…" He began, only to stop mid sentence at the look on my face.

"Finish that sentence and you'll be going to the Soul Society a lot soon that you had anticipated." I growled, knowing full well that he was going to comment on my size.

"Now then, I'll see you at the shop tonight right?" I asked him calmly, even though I knew he was going to be there. The look on his was priceless at my turn in mood. He was so confused now.

"Y-yeah. Mr. Hat-N-Clogs said he was going to train me." Ichigo replied, not knowing what to make of my abrupt mood swing.

"Well, we better get this last day over with, yeah? See you later Death Berry!" I said turning on my heels to walk away as I waved to him over my shoulder, ignoring his sputtering about the nickname I had bestowed upon him.

* * *

The school bell rang for the last time that day, causing the student body to go nuts. Old school papers were strewn about the hallway and more floated down the stairwell as I made my way through the throng of ecstatic kids. Many of them were yelling in excitement that summer was here finally. Everyone was as happy as pigs in shit except me. This day marked the beginning of many migraines and injuries to come.

As I rounded a corner, I felt someone grab me by my left arm and pull. Looking around wildly, I saw that I was now standing in a deserted classroom with none other than Ishida the Nancy Quincy. Wrenching my arm free from his grasp, I turned to face him. His sharp blue eyes slightly widened at the angry look that graced my face as I leveled an accusing finger at his face.

"Ishida, don't ever grab me like that again if like your face the way it is." I stated harshly as I dropped my finger.

"Dually noted Woodard-san." He replied calmly.

"Now then, what do you want? I know you didn't pull me in here to exchange pleasantries." I asked coolly, taking a seat on top of a desk near him.

"Indeed I did not. I wanted to ask you if are going along with Kurosaki-san to the Soul Society on his rescue mission." Ishida inquired, looking at me thoughtfully as he leaned against the wall opposite of me.

"Yeah, I am. Why? Do ya wanna come tag along with us or something?" I asked with a grin, again knowing the answer to my question.

"I do. But, I must ask you two things. One, do not tell Kurosaki-san that I will be coming along." He said seriously as he waited for my answer. After I nodded, he continued.

"Secondly, I am not at the level I need to be in order to fight in the Soul Society. I was wondering as to what your plans are for the next few days." He asked me, trying to hide the self disappointment he had for not being as strong has he would have liked. It must have taken a lot of pride swallowing to admit to that. Normally, guys don't go asking a chick for help.

"So you're asking me to train with you in other words." I questioned, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. This would mean that I wouldn't get involved in Ichigo's training.

"Yes, in short." Ishida confirmed.

"Well then, I got to ask you one thing then." I said as the Nancy Quincy stared at me with anticipation.

"When do we start?" I asked him, a shit eating grin splitting my face.

* * *

So after Ishida told me to meet him at his house in three days (He gave me the address which blew my mind), I returned to the shop. If I remember correctly, that is the same amount of time it will take for the Death Berry to get his powers back and unknowingly be Vizardfied. I was glad because that means that I don't have to stay and witness the Death Berry as he explodes. I had just walked outside to round everyone up for dinner to see Ichigo nearing the others.

"Welcome! How are your wounds?" Kisuke inquired upon noticing Ichigo standing there.

Without missing a beat, the Death Berry ripped his school shirt open, giving us all an ample view of his torso. The wounds had healed up nicely, leaving a few small slash marks on his shoulders and chest. I felt my face heat up as I realized that he really did have a nice bod. Of course, it would get even better after all the training he would go through this year.

I then promptly bitch slapped myself mentally for letting my thoughts go to the gutter. I can't think of him or any of the others in that way. My stay in this world wasn't permanent and it would do me well to remember that shit. But, I'm a healthy teenage girl. I can't help it when my eyes wander as well as the thoughts in my head start swimming freestyle in the sewer! Stupid hormones be gone!

"Recovered." Ichigo answered, breaking me out of my inner monologue.

"That's good! Did you tell your Father?" Kisuke asked, flipping his fan closed as he turned away.

"Yeah. I told him I'd be sleeping over at a friend's house." The Death Berry responded, causing Kisuke to turn around, fan reopened.

"That…Really sounds like an excuse to do the Hanky Panky. We may want to tell Holly-chan to lock her door." Kisuke said in a tone that I would say was uneasy even though I knew he was fucking with him. But, was the last part of the sentence really needed though?

"Die!" Ichigo fired back, irritation marring his face as he started to follow after Kisuke.

I let out a small laugh as I watched Ichigo suddenly stop and promptly bowed, "Teach me well!" He shouted, causing Kisuke to stumble slightly. The others were speechless as Kisuke turned around to see what was wrong. When Ichigo claimed that nothing was and repeated his previous statement, Kisuke smiled a small smile.

"Well, now that y'all have had your moment, dinner is ready." I said, causing everyone to stare at me.

"Woodard-dono, tonight isn't your night to cook dinner." Tessai said, turning to look at me disapprovingly with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Neh, I was in a good mood Tessai. Besides, how are y'all suppose to train on an empty stomach?" I replied cheekily before disappearing into the shop, leaving the others behind to go set up the table.

* * *

**Sama: **Oh Lordy… Holly and Ishida training together? Wonder what'll happen. Anywho, show some love and R&R peeps.


	8. Away we GO!

**Sama: **Just a mild filler chapter really, but it has to be done right? Don't worry though y'all, just two more chapters and we'll in Sex God Heaven. 'Cause that's what it is. Why else would the Male Shinigami we learn about be total hotties? Hello Shuhei~! *Drools*

**~*In Soul Society*~**

**Hisagi: ***Sneezes* Someone must be talking about me… I hope it's Rangiku-chan! *3*

* * *

After we ate, we descended down the ladder into the newly built underground training room. Seeing it firsthand amazed me more than seeing it drawn. The spaciousness was the wow factor for me because something of this magnitude would have taken way longer than 24 hours if it was anyone else. When we all had gathered at the bottom, Kisuke stepped away from us and began yelling.

"Woah! What is this place? I didn't know that there was such a huge ass cavity beneath the shop!" He shouted, hand cupped around his mouth to further emphasize the echo.

"Shut up already. You don't have to bother screaming about it, we're already surprised." The Death Berry dead panned.

I tuned out the ensuing conversation in favor of continuing my investigation of this new "Study Hall" as Kisuke affectionately referred to it. I took in everything; Sky, ground, dead trees, and rocks. He really pulled out all the stops with this subterranean playground. I kicked and scuffed at the ground with my slip-ons, dust forming in the air with my actions. Next, I knocked on and touched the rocks. They were hardy and just like the real things they were formed to be. As I was about to investigate the sky, I heard a thump from behind me.

I turned on my heel just in time to watch Ichigo skid across the ground. His yell of surprise reached me, the echo amplifying the sound. As I watched in slight amusement, Ururu appeared across from him with the fighting gear cradled in her skirt. She curtsied, being the polite girl that she is, confusing the Death Berry even more. His confusion intensified as Kisuke explained to him what his first objective was, his face morphing into horror and bafflement.

"You… Are you fucking crazy? You're telling me to punch a little kid!" Ichigo exclaimed in disbelief, snatching Kisuke up by his coat.

"Oh? I think it should be quite difficult considering the bodily state you're in now." Kisuke responded matter-o-factly, irritating the Death Berry.

The sound of Ururu dropping some equipment by his feet caused Ichigo to let go of Kisuke in surprise. He turned sharply to stare at the girl behind him with a start, taking in the look of upmost seriousness on her face.

"Hey Death Berry! You might want to put that shit on or she really might kill you for real!" I shouted over to him as Ururu rushed him before he could fully comprehend what I just said.

"Huh?" Was his reply when Ururu was in front of him instantly, fist raised.

The huge blowout from her strike caused a thick cloud of dust and debris to fly into the air, obscuring our view. Ururu stood like a boss, watching for movement as I walked over to the others for safety reasons. Standing on the left side of Jinta, we surveyed the scene in front of us for any signs that the orange headed boy survived. I had to bite back down on the laugh that threatened to come out.

"He isn't getting up…" Jinta said in slight awe of the power Ururu displayed.

"I wonder if he's dead?" Tessai speculated out loud as Kisuke stood by, trademark fan hiding his mouth.

I kept my comments to myself as we watched Ichigo roll out of the dust cover head over heels. I barely registered what the others said as the Death Berry abruptly got up and ran pass Ururu. Needless to say, I lost it. Watching a teenage boy run away from a little girl was something anyone would laugh at. I realized that I must look like a complete nut, but when Ichigo asked Kisuke how to put the head gear on and his reply to that, my laughter had me physically shaking.

Ichigo repeated the ridiculous phrase, found out it was bullshit, almost got creamed by Ururu, put the head gear and gloves on, and almost got decked again by Ururu. I couldn't breathe with how hard I was laughing and couldn't concentrate on what was happening. Before I knew it, he had succeeded in clearing lesson one. My laughing had died down to small snerks as Jinta stared at me in complete disbelief.

"What? Never heard a girl laugh before?" I asked him.

"No! I never heard you laugh like that before! You looked like you belonged in a nut house!" Jinta fired back in usual angry tone.

"What? We're going to go out and get some food or something?" We heard Ichigo say, right before the sound of Tessai slamming down the axe, severing the Death Berry's Soul Chain.

"Let's continue on to lesson two!" Kisuke replied, his carefree attitude flowing into his words.

Jinta and I were joined by Ururu a second latter, the scratch on her face having dried up and no longer bleeding. Jinta had a look of upmost confusion on his face as Ururu stared at the guys before us with her blank expression in place. I didn't know whether or not the kids knew what exactly Kisuke was doing to Ichigo.

I knew for damn sure what came of lesson two and I wasn't sure if I wanted to stick around for it. So I decided that I would just go now and come back after I trained with the Nancy Quincy.

"Hey, kids. I'm going out. If Kisuke or Tessai asked, I went out for some solo training. Okay?"

"Whatever Holly." Jinta replied, not taking his eyes of the guys. Ururu just nodded like she usually did. After ruffing up their hair, I ascended up the ladder.

* * *

I showered, changed, and checked the date before I departed the house. I still had one day before I met up with Ishida. To pass the time, I decided to check up on Yoruichi and see how she was fairing with Orihime and Chad. I knew that they were somewhere near a construction site so that narrowed my search radius. Feeling around for Yourichi's reishi, I sensed that it was still a ways off from where I was. I leaped from building top to building top, skipping four or five roof tops as I hopped along.

My search led me to a construction site near a couple of office buildings. I felt them up on the top story. I gathered my rei into my legs and shot up like a bullet to the window above. Thankfully, the window was open. I settled down on the window's edge and watched as Yoruichi instructed the two teens on how to focus on the feelings they felt when they used their powers for the first time. They were still having a hard time with that apparently. I guess it was time to make my presence known.

"Aloha guys! How's the training going?" I said louder than I usually would, causing the three to jump in surprise. They whirled around defensively, but relaxed after seeing it was just me.

"Holly! What a pleasant surprise!" Yoruichi replied, padding over to where I was seated.

"Oh, you're that girl from that one day!" Orihime exclaimed while Chad just stared at me.

"Allow me to properly introduce to you two; Woodard, Holly." The werecat said, holding up a paw towards me.

"You can just call me Holly though." I corrected, giving a small bow coupled with a queen's wave. Ya know, like the Princess Diaries with what's her nuts playing Amelia.

"I'm pleased to meet to Holly-san! I'm Inoue, Orihime!" The air head said, giving a bow of her own.

"Yasutora, Sado." Chad informed me simply, bowing as well.

"Well, now that we got that out of the way. You two can have your lunch break now. We start again in five minutes." Yoruichi stated, causing Orihime to cheer in glee while Chad remained silent, moving towards where his stuff was situated.

"Neh~ Yoru-chan, can I talk to you for a second?" I said as I picked Yoruichi up off the ground.

"Sure, let's go out into the hall." The werecat purred in response as my fingers ran through her fur.

Once we were out in the hall, I set her back down and took a spot on floor in front of her. "I've been wondering something for a while now. Is the voice a side effect from the transformation or are you doing it on purpose?" I asked in complete honesty.

"It's a side effect. But, how did you know this wasn't my true form." She inquired, taken aback that I picked up on the voice change.

"Cats don't talk. I'm just surprised that the others haven't notice that little fact." Was my come back, deadpanning as a nodded my head towards the door.

"I as well. But, I feel that was not what you wanted to talk to me about." Yoruichi replied knowingly.

"Yeah, you're right. I wanted to ask if you could teach me how to change into an animal." I asked.

"You want to learn? Whatever for?" Yoruichi asked, a nonexistent eyebrow raised.

"Well, I thought that it would be a good idea because we need to be as covert as possible when we enter the Soul Society right?" I answered her, explaining it in a practical way instead of being truthful about my intended use for it. I needed it to make it easier to get the 411 I needed in case something was off in this universe.

"You do make a good point, but animal transformation requires Kido, something I thought that you were not able to use." She informed me, causing me to hang my head in desolation.

"Well, there goes the easy info gathering way. Shit…" I thought sulkingly.

"You're right. I can't use Kido." I sighed, causing Yoruichi to gain a thoughtful look.

"Hm… Maybe there is a way around that particular handicap of yours…" She said, continuing to rack her brain for a solution to the problem at hand. Her eyes had closed in thought while she held her paw up under her chin.

"I originally invented this technique for myself. It utilizes Kido to form animal parts outside the body. Maybe I can come up with a way for you, a non Kido user, to be able to use this technique. I'll have to think on it though." Yoruichi explained to me as the thoughts raced behind her golden eyes, her thinking hat still on.

"I can come back later if you want. I sure they need your help more than I." I told her, remembering she was suppose to be helping Chad and Orihime. I was taking up their training time, time that they really needed.

"I'll tell you what. I'll get in touch with you before we leave to the Soul Society. Hopefully I will have found a way for you to use this transformation." Yoruichi said.

"Sounds like a plan. So, I'll just let you get back to the two teens you got in there." I replied, getting off the floor. Walking over to the door, I opened it enough to let Yoruichi and myself to slip in unnoticed by the duo.

"Well guys, good luck on your training!" I called over to the two teens while I walked by them, giving them a reassuring smile. "I have complete faith that you guys'll get this power thing down pact!"

"Thank you Holly-san!" Orihime called back to me, Chad giving a small nod of head to let me know he heard.

Giving then a final wave of my hand, I jumped out of the window back down to the ground. Landing softly, I stood up from my crouched position. The sun had begun to set, painting the sky in an orgy of reds, yellows, pinks, and purples. Tomorrow I would begin my training with Ishida. I knew that he had taken these three days in order to get that glove of his in working order. He probably wanted to use me as target practice instead of actual training. Oh well, it can't be helped.

I just hope that I don't get skewered because that would really blow.

* * *

**Sama: ***Head to tha Desk* I'm so tired right now. It's like, 3 a.m. here in Cali and I spent the last hour rereading and editing this chapter. R and a R is all I'm sayin' yo.


	9. Of Training, Rum Balls, & Other Things

**Sama:** Here's NUMBA 9 Yo! This chapter is a bit choppy i'll admitt, but I can't wait for the Soul Society Arc to actually start, ya know?

* * *

After staring at his door for five minutes, I raised my fist and knocked on the Nancy Quincy's door. Today was the day that he and I begin our training. I just hope that I don't end up with a few extra holes in me. That would be something that I wouldn't look forward to explaining to Kisuke. Knocking once more, I waited again for a reply. Ishida did say to show up around 10ish. Looking at my phone, I saw that it was a little after 10. Upon hearing the door open, I stowed my phone away and turned my attention to the bespectacled teen before me.

"Woodard-san." Ishida greeted simply, closing the door behind him to lock up his house.

"Ishida." I replied in kind as we departed.

We continued to walk in silence until we reach a wooded area on the far outskirts of town. It seemed that he wanted to train somewhere that wouldn't run the risk of being seen by prying eyes. Wise move I suppose, but I really didn't care where we did this as long as I walked out intact.

"So Ishida, any particular skill you want to hone first or do you just want to spar?" I asked the Nancy Quincy, who in return seemed to ponder it.

"I propose we spar first to get a feel for each other's fighting styles and abilities." He suggested, fiddling with his sleeve which I guessed hid his glove.

"Okie dokie pokie. Let's get started then, shall we?" I replied cheekily as I fell into a loose stance, my hands slightly raised before me.

Ishida didn't reply, but instead got into a stance of his own; his archer stance. Neither of us moved, trying to anticipate which one would make the first move. I guess he got tired of waiting for me to attack because he materialized a bow from his glove and fired the first shot of our spar. I dodged it easily enough as I lost myself to our training.

* * *

"Here, Ishida." I said as I passed a water bottle to him.

"Thank you Woodard-san." The Nancy Quincy replied as I sat down next to him.

We were having a five minute breather after our spar. It was a bit after 12 when we decided to take a break. We fought off and on for two hours, neither of us wanting to give an inch to the other. I decided that Ishida deserved a tad bit more credit than I gave him. He turned out to be a nice sparring partner. I had a slightly hard time keeping up with him as he could just suck up the rei particles out of our surroundings. Maybe I should call him Sponge Quincy Square Glasses instead of Nancy Quincy… Naw, it just doesn't have the same ring to it.

"If I may ask Woodard-san, why haven't you drawn your zanpakuto?" Ishida inquired, causing me to stop my inner ramblings to look down the neck of my own bottle for an acceptable answer.

Finally, I looked back up to meet his questioning gaze. "I wanted to see where your skills lied before I decided if I should. Besides, I'd rather not considering his special ability." I answered evenly, causing a spark of curiosity to ignite in his eyes.

"His special ability? And what would that be?" The Nancy Quincy questioned further.

"Ah uh. That's a secret between him and me. Let's just say that I enjoy a fair fight, and drawing Kuro would have made our spar anything but fair." I said before getting back up.

"So, ready for round two?" I asked, offering a hand to the still sitting teen, promptly changing the subject altogether. Ishida still seemed curious, but decided against asking me again.

* * *

"I could not help but notice that you are slower than Shinigamis. Why is that?" Ishida inquired, finding it odd that I was only a bit faster than himself.

"Can't Flash Step. Don't ask me why I can't, I just… can't." I finished lamely, finding it stupid that I didn't have an inkling of why it was that I can't Flash Step.

"Truly? That is… rather strange. Then how is it that you are able to move as quickly as I?" The Nancy Quincy continued to question, trying to understand my powers.

"Much like you, I gather my rei into the soles of my feet and use it to propel me forward." I answered simply, taking the time to come up with my own observations about his fighting style.

"And I couldn't help but notice that your defense is lacking. Your offense is good, but you fight your opponents at a certain range. If they were able to get close enough to you, you'd be in a world of hurt." I stated, watching his expressions as they danced across his face in deep thought.

"You do bring up a good point Woodard-san." Ishida said calmly, his fingers going to his glasses to push them back up the bridge of his nose.

"Well… If you're open to suggestions, I have a couple for you to choose from." I replied helpfully. Hey, no need to be a bitch about helping the dude. That's what he wanted in the first place.

"What do you suggest then, hm?" He implored, giving me his undivided attention.

"Ya see, you could do this…"

* * *

With the sun going down, Ishida and I decided to call it a day and we went our separate ways. We were to meet up again tomorrow at the same time in the same place. In the end, we spent the rest of the day just sparring. We would work on our respective skills that are lacking for the next few days before we sparred again. If we had anytime left over we would find some other skills that need work.

When I arrived back at the shop, I went straight for my room. I took a change of clothes into the bathroom with me and took a shower to wash away the day's dirt 'n grime. It took awhile for me to patch myself up, finding that I had more cuts and bruises than I realized. I left the bathroom and placed my dirty clothes into my hamper. After that was done, I descended down the stairs to go and see how things were progressing down in the study hall.

It seems that the Death Berry was still in the rabbit's hole, leaving me to cook dinner for the kids, Tessai, and Kisuke. I had no clue as to where Yoruichi was, seeing as how she could mask her reishi better than I ever could. As I stood within the kitchen, I became aware of someone staring into the back of my head. As it turns out, it was Tessai, whom proceeded to kick me out of it and told me to sit at the table.

"What were you up to today Holly? I felt surges in both your rei and that of a certain Quincy's." Kisuke asked me, gazing over the edge of his fan at me with an amused look.

"Training, what else would I possibly be doing with him, neh?" I shot back, giving him almost the same look. Mine however, was accompanied with a small upturn of the right corner of my mouth.

"Is that so? And how long do you plan to train with one another?" The Old Goat inquired, with the same amused expression.

"Till we decide that we have ran out of time I suppose." I stated, looking away from Kisuke to see Yoruichi plop herself down onto the table top near him.

"Que paso Yoruichi! How did your day go?" I greeted, watching her non-existent eyebrow rise.

"It was trying to say the least. They have not been able to get access to their powers yet." She replied, not batting an eyelash at the Spanish words.

"They'll get it time though Yoru-chan! They got you teaching them after all." I stated as it was a fact. Well, it was a fact, but shoosh! They don't need to know that.

"Nahah! I go first Ururu!" Yelled Jinta, who then shoved Ururu behind him.

"Now, now. Don't be like Jinta. There is enough food for all of us." Kisuke admonished as the Red Headed Brat took his seat next to me.

"Nahah! Go sit by Tessai! I snootily mimicked his voice, pushing him a seat over to allow Ururu to take her usually seat next to me.

Before Jinta could retort, Tessai came out the kitchen with dinner. Placing the food on the table, Tessai dividy up the meal equally between the six of us and we began to eat after Kisuke. As we became consumed with eating and talking, my mind couldn't help but wonder about a certain ginger in the well. That, and how it was that Yoruichi was eating with chopsticks…

* * *

I watched as Ishida shot one more round off with his glove before he lowered his arm. I didn't understand why he was in the middle of the Karasu River, but whatever floats his boat, right? He stared down at his clenched, gloved fist as he seemed to be having an inner conversation with himself. I think he was talking to his Grandpa if memory serves me correctly.

"So take it that we are done here?" I asked him as he realized that was watching him.

"Yes Woodard-san. I believe so." The Nancy Quincy replied, wading back over to my side of the river before pulling himself out.

"Well then, I'll see you at the shop later on then." I said, slipping off the rock I had sat down on. With a finally wave to Ishida, we departed ways.

* * *

I meandered around town as usual, walking to and fro without a set destination. Its not like I have anything else better to do. Kisuke and Tessai were in the middle of building the Death Ray… I mean the Senkaimon, and Yoruichi was still helping out Chad and Orihime. With the 1st only a few days away, I have decided that now would be a good time to kick back and relax before I go off to Soul Society with the rest of the… Scooby Gang?

Yeah, note to self, think of nicknames for Orihime, Chad, and their group. I also needed some to call our guys in Soul Society. Hmm… yes. I will need to think on it thoroughly… Anyways, with D-day drawing close, I couldn't help but wonder if there was a chance of something going awry with me being there. On the off chance that there is nothing new added to the story, what if just my existence alters the plot line? What if I end up fighting someone who was supposed to be fighting someone else?

Or, what if I end up interfering with a plot development? For example; if Toshiro and Rangiku spot me before they reach the Central 46 Building. That could mean that they would reach the building later than they should of, Hinamori could possibly die as a result, and Toshiro wouldn't see Aizen alive and kicking. That would cause a fracture in the story and would most likely create more ripples down the line. If this were to happen, I wouldn't know how to repair said fracture and many things would be affected because of my actions.

I had to be careful about how I conduct myself in Soul Society or shit would get royally fucked over. Knowing this, my strategy would have to be changed to suit these new thoughts of mine. I will more than likely travel through the sewer to avoid being detected seeing as how my kido handicap disallowed me from transforming into an animal. I guess I'll just have to see what options are available to me as I go along.

Though, I think that I need to start my own preparations for this mission. Like some of my Dad's famous Rum Balls. Some booze for down time and a couple packs of cigs 'cause God knows I'll be smoking like a freight train with all this stress. I'll be very surprised if I don't develop some form of lung cancer from this…

* * *

With my list of shit I need taken care of; I realized that I'm not really sure if I am ready for our journey. With the way that my rei has taken to acting recently, I don't think that I should be going with the others at all. I would more than likely be more of a liability than anything else. And with everyone showing up here at the shop tonight, I feel a migraine coming on. I had already been given a pep talk earlier by the Old Goat himself.

"_Holly, I need you to be careful when you are in Soul Society. There are people there that would kill you and not bat an eyelash doing so."His grey eyes pinning mine with a look of complete seriousness._

"_I know Kisuke." I responded, feeling a tad bit annoyed that he was repeating what I already knew from the other talks he have had over this last year._

_With a sigh, Kisuke continued, "I know that I may sound like a worried parent, but I cannot help but feel so with this instance. The others may have powers now, however; they do not know their limitations."_

"_Kisuke, I know. I'll help Yoruichi keep an eye on the kids and all that good shit."The annoyance must have slipped though with that last sentence, because the Old Goat's face smoothed out from it's worried state._

"_I know you must be getting annoyed with all this, as it seems to me that you are not use to people expressing their concern over your wellbeing. Just, be safe… for my sake at least. I would feel most guilty if something foul became of you."Kisuke admitted, making me feel rather like an asshole for getting upset with him. He was only looking out for me after all._

"_I'll be fine Kisuke. Really, I will. So will the others too. Even that stick in the ass Quincy will be fine. So, I suggest you just relax and let us kids do the worrying, okay?" I relented, taking his shoulders into my hands and giving them a comforting squeeze._

The conversation led me to a conclusion that I never thought of before; what would happen once I left this world, if I ever could. It seems to me that the Shop crew grew found enough of me to express their worries about my health. Even with the way that Jinta and I were to each other it was apparent that the kid liked me well enough to come up and yell some abuse before making me promise to stay clear of any major trouble.

And there was Ururu as well. After Jinta said his bit, the usually quiet n' shy gal gave me a tearful hug and made promise to also take care of myself. I couldn't remember the last time I was on the receiving end of a hug, but it felt it was the thing I needed the most at the time. I tucked the kids into their respective beds and said my good nights to each before departing to my room.

Then, there was Tessai who basically echoed what Kisuke had said to me and gave me a nifty little bag of Soul Reaper grade first aid stuffs. I thanked him kindly and in turn told him to keep an eye on things for me while I was way. Mostly on Jinta as to keep the Ururu abuse to a minimum. So here I sat on my bed, lacing up my black steel toed boots while the clock on my night stand blinked red numbers at me. 12:57 in the a.m.

Giving myself one last look over, I grabbed the black drawstring bag that I had packed prior and made my way down the stairs to go join in the jamboree…

At the Cod Fish Ball!

* * *

**Sama: **That last bit was inspired by the Disney Sing-a-Long Tape I had as a kid. If you know which one it is then you've got the power of Grey Skull on your side. Do I even need to type out the horrid thing all authors do at the end of a Chapter?


End file.
